Omena Bernard Ojuederie is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science at Kings University. He holds a BSc Hons in Microbiology from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), while his MSc in Environmental Biology and Ph.D. in Plant genetics were obtained from the University of Ibadan. His research focuses on enhancing food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa. It cuts across genetic diversity assessment in underutilized legumes and medicinal plants using morphological and molecular markers, food safety, plant tissue culture and germplasm conservation, phytochemical assessment in plants, crop science, and biotechnology as well as plant-microbe interactions. His major goal is to promote food and nutrition security using modern technologies as well as biodiversity assessment and phylogenetic studies on medicinal and underutilised legumes such as the African yam bean. He has supervised several undergraduate and postgraduate MSc students. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles since 2010. He serves on the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Underutilized Legumes (JUL) with headquarters at the Genetic Resources Center of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He also frequently serves as a Reviewer for several journals including the South African Journal of Botany, BMC Plant Biology, Plant Genetic Resources, etc. He is a recipient of the International Foundation for Science (IFS) (2012), and the North-West University Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017-2020). He is a Registered Professional Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and a Member of professional bodies such as the Genetics Society of Nigeria, Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, and the Society for Underutilised Legumes. He is currently an Extraordinary Senior Lecturer at the Food Security and Safety Niche Area of the North-West University, South Africa.
